Two compartment mailbox



Jan. 29, 1952 C. J. AMO

TWO COMPARTMENT MAILBOX a Sh'ets-Sheet Filed April 20, 1948 Jan. 29, 1952 c. J. AMO

TWO COMPARTMENT MAILBOX Filed April 20. 194s gwuem/bcm MVDEJ 4/40,

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Jan. 29, 1952 c. J. AMO

'rw couPARmENT MAILiaox 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 20, 1948 3mm 44 afim i whereby such mail can be Patented Jan. 29, 1952 UNITED'STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,583,623 TWO COMPARTMENT MAILBOX C a J- A211 sdonshura. N; 1. Application April 20, 1948, Serial No. 22,179

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a mail box and more particularly to an individual-user type of mail box; having a letter receiving compartment and a separatelyaccessible compartment for receiving'mail such as small packages and rolled newspapers or magazines.

It is an object of this invention to provide a. new and improved individual-user type of mail box serving all the functions of a conventional mail box and providing, in addition, repository for mail not capable of being res ceived in the conventional type of mail box placed in a safe place and protected from possible exposure to the weather. i

It is another object of this invention to provide such a mail box having, in a unitary structure, a letter receiving compartment and a separate compartment for receiving mail bulkier that letter mail, such as small packages and rolled newspapers or magazines, said separate compartment being accessible withoutpermits ting access to said letter receiving compartment.

It is a further object of this invention to proe vide a mail box of the type referred to which is ornamental in appearance, is of sturdy cons struction. and amply protects the contents thereof from the elements.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a mail box con-. structed in accordance with the teaching of my invention, the front, wall and covers of saidmail box being shown in closed position;

Fig. 2- ice view similar to Fig. 1 with the top cover shown raised and the front wall slightly I alarto. expose the interior of the mail box;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing com: ponen parts of the mail box in diSnfifiSQXIlbltld re a ionsh i 4 s a se ti nal iew taken ind ca e alon line 4 4. 1; Fi 6;

F g-f 5 is a sectiona viewels n a n icat d along line 5-5 of Fig. 6; and

ig 6 ts a secti nal vi w ak as indica a ong line 6on6 of Fig. 5.

Referring generally to the embodiment of my invention which I have illustrated in the drawings, the separate compartment for receiving ma l, not capable o being rece la he. etter recei n compartm nt is l a e at h lower front porti n of hem i ox and is d fined. by in e ior par ition wal an lso y portions of walls of the letter receiving compartment. The interior partition wall is also a wall of the lett r- .reooi ing compartment and thus bloc s oiiac oss to the l tter rec iving c mp rtm t even though independent access is had to the separate compartment. Forming of the sepa-' rate compartment from an interior partition wall plus portions of walls of the letter receiving compartment results in a compact unitary structure of pleasing appearance and one that is not objectionably large.

In closed position, as shown in Figure 1, the mail box is seen as having'a front wall memher to, which could be termed a panel or door, which includes a plane upper portion l l and a bulged out lower portion l2. Viewed edgewise? see Figures 2, 3'and 6, this lower portion I2 is of ar'cuate shape and, as is explained in greater detail hereinafter, forms part of the separate repository or compartment for mail bulkier than letter mail. The front wall l0, like other well members to be described, is preferably made of suitable thin gauge sheetmetal.

The upper portion H of front wall ID has hinge leafs 13 formed integrally along one edge thereof which interleave with hinge leafs I4 f m d teg ally on dewall m m r is to form a hinge support for front wall I 0 thus allowin h .front wall r door, to be opened a s own in Fi ur 2-v For se urity a l c mechanism is provided'and, while the particular type loci; mechanism is not part of the present inventi n; I have illustrated. a combin i n l Hi which, when r leasciena les the catch r lease slide 1! to be moved to the right and r eases. the ca ch 8 allowing the o t W to be opened, Opening of the front wall permits r a y acc ss t th letter r ce n o i ment whi h will now e descri ed- Bief erripg particularly to Figure 3 of the drawings two oppositely disposed spaced apart side walls 15 and .8 are shown as being connected to a back wall 20 and a bottom wall 2!. Side wall 5 is pro id d. with. a inwardly ext nding flange 12 which ext nd ar un h p rip ry oi the side wall as shown n Figu 3 and si wall I8 is likewise provided with n inw r y extendin flange zawhich extends around the reater portion of the p riphery f his id all: again s e Figur 3 Connecti n of h back wall. 20 and th bottom wall. 2! to the sid walls 15 and la is mad along these flanges and i3. and while no particular type of c n,- nocti n. has h6 fihqwnl 113 Will be lI lQI'SllO d that the connection could be, for example, spot welding, metal rivets or simply metal screws.

The top wall of the letter receiving compartment is indicated at 24 and this wall member is connected to portions of flanges 22 and 23 which extend along the top edges of side walls l and I9 as shown in the drawings. It will be observed that the top wall 24 is peaked, i. e. had a ridge line 25, whereby moisture, such as rain, will be shed readily instead of collecting on the top'of the mail box. The top wall is provided with a drop slot 26 extending substantially the length of the top. A cover flap 2'! is hingedly connected to a pivot rod 28 located adjacent the ridge line 25 and this cover flap, in closed position, conceals the drop slot 26. For additional protection against moisture, etc. gettin into the mail box from the top, the cover flop is provided with downwardly extending side flanges 23 and 30, and the cover flap extends beyond the front edge 3| of top wall 24; see Figure 6. A mail indicator 32 is pivotally'mounted on the cover flap and opposite sides of this'indicator can be colored differently to provide an indication, depending upon which way the indicator is turned, as to whether or not the mail box contains mail.

The lower front portion of side wall I5 is recessed as indicated at 33, see Figure 3, and the lower front portion of side wall i3 is correspondingly recessed as indicated at 33. At these recessed portions the flanges 22 and 23 are areshaped in edge view and to these arc-shaped portions of these flanges the correspondingly curved partition wall 35 is connected: As stated before, the front wall ID has an upper plane portion H and a bulged out, or offset, lower portion 1 2. The bulge out, or offset, starts at line 36a- Bottom wall 2! has a rear plane portion 31 and a forward bulged down, or oflset, portion 38. The bulge down, or oi'lset, starts at line 39. Curved partition wall 35 has an edge 45 adjacent line 33 and an edge 4! adjacent line 36, when thefront wall it is closed. Partition wall 35 extends between edges 43 and 41 and also extends between the side walls l5 and I9 thus closing off access to the letter receiving compartment at the lower front portion of this compartment, i. e. throughout the length of the portions of flanges 22 and 23 extending along the recesses 33 and 34.

From the foregoing descriptionit can be seen that the letter receiving compartment is defined by parallel plane side Walls I5 and I9, back wall 23, the plane portion 31 of bottom wall 2|, the peaked top wall 24, curved partition wall 35, and the plane portion. II of' front wall In (when the latter is in closed position); These various 00m. ponents can be readily viewed in Figure 3 and, in assembled relation, in Figures 1 and 2. Of these components, only the front wall H) is movable and when this wall is locked shut the letter receiving compartment is substantially inaccessible. However, when the' front wall is unlocked andswung open it is easy to reach into the letter compartment andv remove the mail.

The curved partition wall 35, the'curved lower portion 12 of-front wall l0, and the curved forward portion 38 of bottom wall 2| "complement each other to form a tubular compartment which extends the length of the mail box at the lower front thereof. As viewed in Figure 6, these respective curved parts are arcs of a circle and, together, make a cylindrical compartment. Pivotal cover flaps' lfl and 4| are; provided at each end of this compartment. Considering cover flap 40 as an example, this cover flap-is pivotally con nected to side wall l9 at 42 and is provided with a finger hole 43 whereby the cover flap can be readily drawn aside to expose the tubular compartment and permit insertion or withdrawal of mail matter. Cover flap 4| is similarly operated and, in practice, when it is desired to swing front wall I0 outward, cover flap 4| is first swung out of the way. Having two cover flaps which can be swung clear of the ends, or mouths, of the tubular compartment makes it easy to retrieve objects from within this compartment since they can be pushed through, if necessary, from one end to the other.

Even though access is readily had to the tubular compartment, the letter receiving compartment is not exposed because the partition wall 35, which is a wall common to both the letter receiving compartment and the tubular compartment, extends from adjacent bottom wall 2| (1. e. edge 46 is adjacent line 39) to adjacent front wall 13 (i. e. edge 4'! is adjacent line 36) thus effectively closing off the letter compartment as long as the front wall I0 is in closed position, i. e. in door shut position. Figure 6 illustrates this particularly well. From line 39 the curved portion 33 of bottom wall 2| extends to edge '44 and the curved portion i2 of front wall I3 extends from line 38 to edge 45. As shown in Figure 6, these edges 14 and 45 abut when the front wall It] is shut and thus complete the separate tubular compartment.

To facilitate attaching the mail box to a support surface, the back wall 20 is provided with openings 43 to receive headed screws, bolts, etc. should such means of mounting be employed; I

It will thus be seen that I have illustrated and described a unitary structure mail box which is of sturdy construction and attractive appearance and which serves as a repository for dual types of mail, permitting one type of mail to be removed without affording access to the other type. As a matter of fact, the separate compartment heretofore described can also serve as a repository for non-mail matter, such as newspapers delivered by carrier boys, and thus has a wider usage than merely as a mail repository. I

In the embodiment of my invention set forth in this specification the separate compartment is shown and described as being cylindrical in shape, i. e. of circular cross-section, whereby the wall members I2, 35 and 3B are circular arcs in edge View. This is a desirable shape for this compartment since it is a shape adapted to receive readily mailing tubes, rolled papers, etc. However, the separate compartment need not be exactly circular in cross-section. The important thing is that the interior partition wall block off access to the letter compartment when the front wall is closed.

Accordingly, while I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to be restricted solely thereto but that I do intend to cover all modifications thereof which would be readily apparent to one skilled in the 'art and which come within the spirit and scope of my invention. e

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

I claim: 7

l. A two compartment mail box comprising walls defining a letter receiving compartment, two of said walls being exterior walls of subto each other, a partition wall extending length:

wise of said two walls and contacting each of them along a line extending in a direction lengthwise of said walls, and a wall member extending from each of said two walls in a direction substantially at right angles to the length of said walls, said wall members having meeting edges in contact with each other and defining, together with said partition wall, an auxiliary compart ment for receiving mail bulkier than letter mail, said auxiliary compartment having an end opening whereby said mail is inserted or withdrawn in a direction lengthwise of said partition wall and wall members.

2. A two compartment mail box adapted to be positioned in upright position, said mail box comprising walls defining a letter receiving compartment, one of said walls being a substantially vertical wall and another of said walls being a substantially horizontal wall, each of said vertical and horizontal walls having a curved wall member extending therefrom, said wall members being of corresponding length and having edges closely adjacent each other throughout said length, and a partition wall extending between and contacting said Vertical and horizontal walls, said partition wall being substantially equal in length to said curved wall members and defining, together with said wall members, an auxiliary compartment for receiving mail bulkier than letter mail, said auxiliary compartment having an opening at one end thereof whereby said mail is inserted or withdrawn in a direction lengthwise of said compartment.

3. A two compartment mail box comprising walls defining a letter receiving compartment, one of said walls being a planar front wall and another of said walls being a planar bottom wall, said walls being of substantially equal length and each having an arcuate wall member extending therefrom in a direction substantially at right angles to the length of the wall, said arcuate wall members having edges closely adjacent each other throughout the length of said walls, and an arcuate partition wall extending between and contacting said front and bottom walls, said partition wall defining, together with said arcuate wall members, a tubular auxiliary compartment for receiving mail bulkier than letter mail, said auxiliary compartment having an end opening whereby mail is inserted or withdrawn in a direction extending axially of said compartment.

4. A two compartment mail box comprising walls defining a letter receiving compartment, said walls including spaced oppositely disposed end walls and exterior walls extending between said end walls, two of said exterior walls being positioned at an angle to each other and each of said two walls having a wall member extending therefrom, said wall members having edges closely adjacent each other substantially the distance between said spaced end walls, and a partition wall extending between and contacting said oppositely disposed end walls and said two exterior walls, said partition wall, together with said extending wall members, defining an auxiliary compartment for receiving mail bulkier than letter mail, at least one or said end walls being cutaway to provide an opening for said auxiliary compartment, said opening being located adjacent said end wall whereby mail is inserted or withdrawn from said auxiliary compartment from an end of said mail box.

5. A two compartment mail box comprising walls defining a letter receiving compartment, said walls including spaced oppositely disposed side walls, a front wall, and a bottom wall, each of said front and bottom walls having a wall member extending therefrom and said wall members having edges closely adjacent each other substantially throughout the distance between said spaced side walls, and a portition wall extending between and contacting said side walls, front wall and bottom wall, said partition wall, together with said extending wall members, defining an auxiliary compartment for receiving mail bulkier than letter mail, each of said side walls being cut-away to provide oppositely disposed end openings for said auxiliary compartment whereby mail is inserted or withdrawn from said auxiliary compartment from either side of said mail box.

6. A mail box comprising an upright box-like letter compartment having a drop slot for inserting letters therein and a movable front wall member constituting a door for said compartment, said movable wall member having a Wall portion extending outwardly and downwardly from the bottom thereof and said wall portion completing, only when said movable wall member is in door shut position, a tubular auxiliary compartment for receiving mail such as rolled newspapers and the like, said auxiliary compartment being positioned adjacent the lower front edge of said letter compartment and extending transversely from side to side of said compartment, and a common partition wall separating said respective compartments, said auxiliary compartment being inclosed throughout its length but having an end opening whereby mail such as rolled newspapers and the like is inserted or withdrawn from a side of said mail box, said partition wall blocking access to said letter compartment despite insertion or withdrawal of such mail.

CLAUDE J. AMO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 384,698 Langford June 19, 1888 728,401 Langford May 19, 1903 753,302 Ogle Mar. 1, 1904 1,307,649 Wiel June 24, 1919 1,595,284 Bergman Aug. 10', 1926 2,433,202 Crowe Dec. 23, 1947 

